Neraya's Book Collection
Disclaimer: All books here are copy&pastes from books in NWN, I have no idea who the real authors are and what copyright applies. (If anything is under copyright, please tell me and I will remove it immediately.) Wars of the Creator Races In the ancient days, before the rise of the created races, great wars were fought by the creator races: the reptile creatures, the amphibians, and the avian peoples. Though most of these wars were fought against other races, many were fought between themselves as well, as they sought to gain dominance over one realm or another. Only a few tales from this time survive. One recounts a group of reptile creatures that betrayed their own kind for the sake of control over a powerful temple. The traitors used the trust of the simple townsfolk to infiltrate the temple area, and then used raw force to breech the temple's defenses, murdering the loyal guardians before seizing control of the site. Once in control of the temple, the city's rulers were caught and slain and the attackers seized the reigns of the whole city. Their efforts were for naught; within the year, the city was burned to the ground by an army of the avian peoples. Religions of the Sword Coast The deities of Faerûn take an active interest in their world, channeling power through their clerics and other worshipers and sometimes intervening directly in the affairs of mortals. At the same time, they have their own plots, conflicts, intrigues, and alliances with other deities, powerful mortals, and outsiders such as elemental lords and demons. In their pettiness the deities of the Realms appear almost mortal, and some were once mortals who won the divine spark through great heroism. Worship is the lifeblood of the gods, and a deity can actually die if his believers lose faith. To keep their worship strong, the gods work through their clerics to recruit new worshipers and keep the flames of faith alive. In return, their clerics are rewarded with spells and other manifestations of the divine will. Many of the deities of Faerûn are specific to a certain race, such as Corellon Larethian (elves) and Moradin (dwarves) or a profession, such as Cyric (thieves) and Mystra (spellcasters). Others hold sway over aspects of nature, such as Umberlee (storms). Some deities are more central to certain locations, such as Helm's Hold, though it is fairly common to see more than one deity honored in larger towns, such as Neverwinter's devotion to Tyr and Helm, or Luskan's worship of Auril, Umberlee, and Tempus. Legends of the Stonelands Famous Citizens of the Sword Coast The City of Neverwinter The Leadership of Neverwinter The city of Neverwinter was originally founded by Lord Halueth Never. This great lord was laid to rest - so local tavern tales swear - on a huge slab of stone encircled by a ring of naked swords laid with their points radiating outward. These magic blades animate to attack all intruders if the precise instructions graven in cryptic verses on the flagstones are not followed. Today Neverwinter is ruled by Lord Nasher Alagondar, an amiable and balding warrior who keeps his city firmly in the Lords' Alliance. Lord Nasher has laid many intrigues and magical preparations against attacks from Neverwinter's warlike rival town, Luskan. Nasher doesn't allow maps of the city to be made. This is to keep the spies of Luskan busy and add a minor measure of difficulty to any Luskanite invasion plans. The royal badge of the city is a white swirl - a sideways "M," with points to the right. It connects three white snowflakes; each flake is different, but all are encircled by silver and blue halos. Lord Nasher is always accompanied by his bodyguard, the Neverwinter Nine. These warriors are entrusted with the many magic items Nasher accumulated over a very successful decade of adventuring. The Neverwinter Wood This hefty tome attempts a complete history of the Neverwinter Wood, but the crux of what is known is summed up in the following passage: While many a tale has suggested that there are dark forces that call the wood their home, there is yet no definite answer as to what truly hides within. Many a glade has a guardian force watching over it, but never one so malevolent as is supposedly in residence there. These woods have never been logged by men, for they are feared and shunned by locals, and even orc hordes alter their course around and never through, though usually only after suffering a goodly number of stubborn casualties. History of Westgate The Rise and Fall of Window Tax, part 1 The City of Luskan Luskan's Arcane Brotherhood The dangers of Illusk pale in comparison to the Host Tower of the Arcane - the home of the Arcane Brotherhood. This magically created stone structure is built to resemble a giant tree or an open human hand. It rises into a central spire surrounded by four spires at the points of the compass. All are of equal height, and each bristles with many lesser spires, balconies, and branching turrets. The Arcane Brotherhood is a mercantile company and spellcaster's guild. It maintains several safe houses in Luskan and in other cities of the North, and at least one fortress somewhere in the mountains north and east of Luskan. The Host Tower, however, is the seat of its strength. Hard information on the upper echelons of the Arcane Brotherhood is very difficult to come by. It is clear, though, that some of the senior wizards have recently been destroyed or trapped in forms from which they can't escape, communicate, or work magic. Some have been moved behind the scenes, and some have left the Brotherhood to pursue their own aims - lichdom, mastery in other lands or planes of existence, and so on. Even still, it should be noted that current activities of the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, and the Red Wizards of Thay reveal that they haven't managed to place agents or even spies in any positions of importance within the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has been known to change with menacing rapidity, as its internal feuds tend to be deadly. Travelers are advised to avoid even coming to the attention of this evil, manipulative group. Chorale's Quick Guide to Yulash Greetings fellow adventurer, As a sometimes inhabitant of Yulash, a wanderer on the paths of the Moonsea, and a spinner of tales and lore, I thought that I would set down my thoughts upon the town and the wonders you may expect to find... The first stopping point for many is the blacksmiths, Ironfist. As a dwarf, he is undoubtedly skilled and can fashion many kinds of weapons and armour, including adding minor enchantments. However, his prices are unusually generous, and not to be bettered anywhere else in the town. ((Be sure to use the 'Anvil' and *not* the 'Live Forge' in Ironfists if you want to get a weapon enchanted)) Close to the Blacksmiths, you will find the shop of the seamstress, Josy. She's an expert at fashioning all kinds of clothing - I have a number of fine gowns myself! Of course, she charges for the privilege, but if it's a fine outfit you are after, look no further. Just next door to the seamstress is an evil looking place that seems to deal in all sorts of 'Dark Arts'. Not really my kind of shop, but if you like dead things.... South of here is the Inn, Moander's Rest; The cook is a half orc and the food and drink can be... interesting. But, buy a key from the barkeep, and upstairs you'll find a place to rest your head and refresh yourself. It's also a favourite gathering place to wash the dust from the throat. Just south of the inn, you'll find the market place; There's a markup on these items of course, but the supply kits are very useful, if a little heavy. If you travel too far from town, you will need to keep some with you to be assured of restful sleep. Right next to the market place is the magic shop, run by an industrious gnome. There's plenty of trinkets he has on offer, and also magical bags which can make carrying all that weight just a bit easier! If it's elixirs and concoctions that you are after, there's a gipsy that mixes them just outside the western gate... She doesn't charge too much either, so that's a good place to stop. I'll be writing some more, but that's enough for now - Yulash is generally a safe place, but I'd say to tread lightly and be not prone to offending anyone overmuch. Chorale. The Legend of Elua, I Pearls of Wisdom Books of Svirnebli Knowledge - Gnomish Common Sayings The War of Darkness and Light Wind by the Fireside The Adventures of Grin, Richard and Wu-Wei Circumstance; she is a goddess in her own right for all she casts upon us. Witness the trials of our three heroes, and know of what I speak. Have knowledge first of young Wu-Wei, sheltered monk of the elven race. Thrown to the winds that he might find a path, instead he found a briar, but with good friends to share the pricking of his fortune. Joined with him were Grin and Richard, young and true, and in that order. They came with dreams and hopes for fortune; their homes long lost behind them, their bridges burning literal. In time they would address what cast them out, but food and aching feet would first need their attention. Wayward went they all, breaking trail where dungeons hide. Tales had told of treasure here and treasure there, and they forgot that tales tell tales most of all. Lost they got, and plenty of it. Then one morn they cracked the dawn, and adventure didn't hide. They needed no scouting skill, no premonition; it landed in their lap, or rather, their camp. A tower, stretching high above as though yawing with them as they woke, somehow seeming just as surprised that its doorstep was there, as they were to be on it. It was most peculiar, and a cheer went up, for that was what they wanted! Of course it wasn't right; it was adventure, and adventure, most of all, takes you where you shouldn't be. Up they clambered clamoring, sure of what must be done. They would search it well from top to tine, ready to let each corner yield its treasure. Wayward buildings scream of wizards and careless alchemy; there had to be something within, some fortune to walk away with. Walk away, it did. Grin and Wu were first to sprint the stairs, while Richard lagged behind. The air was wrong for headlong joy, and the walls were unwisely damp, and he thought to himself that something just wasn't right with this instant tower. The topmost rooms would reveal why, ceding no treasure, no gems, and no captured maidens. Instead, there was a mouth, and not just any mouth, but the very worst kind of mouth, it being one that they were already in. Understanding dripped down their spines. The tower was not a tower; what it was, was hungry. Mimic. A bloody great mimic. Our heroes lived, of course, for I would not wish to profit in their story had they met a tragic end. Although, truth be told, if they had skin on their teeth before their escape, they have surely lost it now, but gained a bit of trepidation and wisdom in its place. Remember well what has been told, and learn from their misfortune. Look for something long enough and you will find it; look for something without understanding, and it will find you. Khelben 'Ravencloak' Arunsun, The Younger Lady Gemcloak The imp's prison Popular legends tell of sylvan creatures luring men within trees, where exists entire kingdoms, known as the faerie realms. A less-popular legend tells of a similarly mischievous group of imps. According to the tale, these imps lure people into their realms by taunting them with something that they may desire, such as wealth or pleasure. Once the person follows, entranced by the whisperings of the imps, he finds himself within a twisted abyss, bereft of hope or the possibility of escape. The Doombringers The world was not always as it is now. There was a time before time, when the land was shaped by the will of the creator races. These were not gods, but the power and magic they wielded was greater than anything seen since. For ages they ruled unchallenged, but at the time of the great cooling a new threat emerged. The new races, the lesser beasts that would become you and I, had grown in confidence and power and began asserting themselves on the land. One of the creator races - their name is now lost to the wastes, and let it never be found or spoken again - turned its awesome power to conquest, and brought forth the great warrior machines. They were fearsome to behold, and there was no doubt to their intent; they were the Doombringers, and they would unleash devastating power upon the world. The young races should have been trampled underfoot, but fate intervened. The masters of the Doombringers had seen their empire pushed to the edges of the Realms, past the peaks of what would become the Spine of the World. They huddled in the lonely mountains, waiting for their old glory to return. But this race had upset the greater balance with their war machines, taking away the very life force of the earth around them. They did not heed the groaning of the stone until their great halls and vaults fell around them and closed them under the earth. Entombed, the Creators could not mind their Doombringers, now standing idle before the forces that would destroy them; the lesser races, the earliest of us but not yet us. They were as ants beneath the giants, but they slowly brought them down. It was victory, but it was only the inattention of the masters that allowed it. They would not stay buried. The threat would surely come again and all lived in fear... until the forgetting. Song and tale have passed the legends of the earliest times, but much has been lost of how we gained our foothold among giants. All we really know is that now we are the masters, the creators of things grand and beautiful, and whatever came before is gone. There are ants beneath our feet that we think nothing of... but it is best to remember that we were once as they, and above us were beings greater than we shall ever be. Let us be mindful, and not look away, lest our own Doombringers fall. The blue devourer The Red Sashes Uthgar's Legacy Uthgar is the legendary founder and namesake of the Uthgardt barbarians of the Savage Frontier. Some of their legends claim that he is the son of Beorunna, and others that he is descended from Tempus. All the legends agree that Uthgar was a proud, strong warrior who lived three times a normal human life. He ascended to watch over the Uthgardt for all eternity after taking fatal wounds in a one-on-one battle with a frost giant named Gurt. Uthgar mastered all the primeval beast spirits in individual combat, passing down the divine gifts he gained from that mastery to his people, the Uthgardt, at his death. The Uthgardt tribes all follow a beast totem, representing one of the beasts that Uthgar bested. Historical evidence suggests that Uthgar was probably a Ruathym Northman named Uther Gardolfsson. Uther led a long raiding career - including looting fabled Illuskan - before founding his barbarian dynasty. No one denies that Uthgar or Uther did indeed ascend to divinity on his deathbed, sponsored by the god of war, who admired his fighting spirit. The Nether Scrolls Long ago, an unknown adventurer discovered a set of magic writings that held vast secrets of magic. These writings came to be called the Nether Scrolls. Taken together, they granted insight into the mysteries of spellcasting, the creation of magic items and constructs, the relations and structure of the planes, and even the making of artifacts. Although all of the Nether Scrolls were lost or stolen over the following 2,000 years, by then the information they contained had changed Netherese society forever. The lords of Netheril developed forms of magic never before seen in the world. The mythallar was a invention by the Netherese wizard Ioulaum that gave power to nearby items, negating the need for expenditure of a spellcaster's energy to create magic items. The mythallar also allowed the creation of flying cities, formed by slicing off and inverting the top of a mountain. Netheril's people took to the skies in these flying enclaves of magic, safe from human barbarians and hordes of evil humanoids. Every citizen wielded minor magic, and the Netherese traded with nearby elven and dwarven nations, expanding the reach of their empire greatly. Circle of Vehlaar, part 2 The Chalice of Serpents, parts 1 and 2 The lost rings of Mhzentul The Green Orb of Dragonkind Warding Magic and Gates Category:Lore